Raynham Park is “confident” that it will be the holder of the state’s slot license, after a major competitor was knocked out of the application process.

Raynham Park LLC was found suitable to maintain a successful slot parlor, while the Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville was eliminated entirely, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission announced on Monday.

The Phase 1 application proceedings put Raynham Park squarely in the driver’s seat in the pursuit of the sole slots license provided by the state’s 2011 gaming legislation. Plainridge and Raynham Park were considered favorites in the application process, but the five-member Massachusetts Gaming Commission determined that the developers behind the Plainville bid were unable to prove they were qualified. The determination was based on the findings of a background investigation, which is an important part of the Phase 1 determination of suitability and qualifications for the applicants.

The commission said in a press release that Ourway Realty LLC, the company behind the Plainville bid, failed to prove it had the business practices and ability to maintain a successful gaming establishment, particularly when it came to its president’s lack of experience in the gaming arena and the “deeply troubling” practices engaged in by the former functional head of the company.

While the commission also expressed reservations about a developer behind the Raynham Park project, it found that overall the Raynham Park LLC developers — including Greenwood Racing and Raynham dog track owner George Carney — proved that they were suitable.

There are three other applicants that remain in play, in addition to Raynham Park. Two of them — Rush (Mass Gaming and Entertainment, LLC), in Milbury, and Cordish (PPE Casino Resorts), in Leominster — were already found suitable last month as part of Phase 1 of the application process. Another, Penn National Gaming, with plans in Tewksbury, are set to have their Phase 1 suitability hearing later this month. The Milbury, Leominster and Tewksbury applications each have required community referendum votes scheduled for September, to approve host community agreements that were all signed in July.

The slot license application process has two parts. The Phase 2 application will be ‘site specific’ and focuses on design, finance, operation, community mitigation and other attributes of the gaming facility itself. Phase 1 focused essentially on the qualifications and suitability and the character of the individuals who are behind the applications.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission expects make its final selection for the slot license recipient by the end of the year.

While opposition to the proposal has been relatively minor, Raynham Park must still receive the support of the community in a townwide referendum election taking place on August 13, on whether or not to approve the community host agreement that would provide town coffers with at least $1.1 million in impact mitigation funds each year (in addition to tax revenue).

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Anthony Ricci, CEO of Greenwood Racing, said that the Phase 1 approval was “great news” for Raynham and the state. Ricci said he is “confident” in obtaining the slot license this year.

“Given the strong record of our group and the long history of successful gaming in Raynham, we are confident that our proposal will ultimately be chosen for the slot parlor license,” said Ricci, who is the owner of the Parx slot casino in Bensalem, Penn., outside Philadelphia. “We look forward to winning over the residents of Raynham on August 13 and moving forward to the next phase of the licensing process.”

Carney echoed Ricci’s thoughts, adding that he hopes to continue to provide jobs in the town, in the way that his dog track did for generations.

“I am very happy that we have been chosen to continue in this process,” Carney said. “For more than fifty years my family has been a partner to the town of Raynham, a job creator, and a revenue producer for Massachusetts. I hope the residents of Raynham will help us continue that partnership.”

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said its negative determination for Plainridge was based largely on “deeply troubling” practices on the part of Gary Piontkowski, who was the functional head of the Plainridge development team, Ourway Realty LLC, during the years headed into the investigation and during the onset of the investigation. According to the commission’s findings, Piontkowski improperly took $1,044,670 in cash advances from the company’s money room, from 2004 to 2010, which were “charged as distribution against his capital account.” The commission said company ownership holders lacked of attention to detail in this case, and added that “blind trust does not advance their case.” The commission also determined that “a culture of fear and concealment pervasive in the operations of Plainridge.”

Earlier this year, after the commission brought the issues to light, Piontkowski was replaced by a new Ourway president, John Grogan, who “does not have any relevant experience as a chief operating officer” and “(u)nfortunately, little to none of his experience is in the gaming arena,” the Gaming Commission determined.

“The organization operated in a haphazard fashion over a period of many years without many, if any, written protocols or procedures in place,” the commission statement said. “The burden is on the applicant to demonstrate its suitability; not merely demonstrate that deficiencies are being addressed.”

While Raynham Park received a vote of confidence for slot parlor suitability from the commission, there are conditions: That Raynham Park LLC partner Robert Green be prohibited from any further business with Robert E. Brennan, and that he provide information about their relationship; that fellow stakeholder Watche Manoukian is required to present evidence that his business dealings are in good character; and that Raynham dog track owner George Carney must prove all his tax bills are paid.

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Green bought the Philadelphia Park race track from International Thoroughbred Breaders, where Brennan was CEO. But from November 1995 until a year later, Green was making investments on behalf of Brennan when the latter was on trial for securities fraud and was appealing the conviction, as part of a highly publicized case, the commission said. The Gaming Commission said Green was candid with them and that Green essentially said he was just doing a favor for a friend. Green said he had no business dealing with Brennan for the last 17 years, although Green said he did visit his friend Brennan once or twice socially since he was released from prison.

The Commission said they found information that Carney was delinquent on taxes for a property in New Hampshire, but prior to meeting with the Raynham man, Carney had already paid all his outstanding tax bills.